Rohingya crisis

Int’l community must address crimes against humanit

Says Canadian spl envoy

The eye-witness accounts of Rohingyas, who had to flee their homeland in Rakhine to escape the atrocities orchestrated by the Myanmar security forces, local Buddhist mobs and people from other ethnic groups, have been both chilling and graphic, according to the interim report released by Canadian special envoy on the Rohingya crisis Bob Rae.

The sufferings of Rohingya women and girls are beyond description by words, according to the 6-page report obtained by The Independent.

In the report, the Canadian special envoy said the international community should directly deal with the issue related to the allegations of the crimes against humanity.

Bob Rae, appointed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on October 23, also said that the whole international community is indebted to Bangladesh for their gesture.

“My initial findings can be divided into three parts: first, the humanitarian crisis in both Bangladesh and Myanmar as a result of the recent exodus of over 655,000 Rohingya refugees into neighbouring Bangladesh, adding to the hundreds of thousands of refugees already there, and the 120,000 in camps under virtual lockdown in Rakhine State ofMyanmar,” he stated in the report.

“Second, the efforts required to ensure the secure return of refugees to their homes with full political and social rights, as well as to ensure the implementation of the recommen dations of the Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State and third, the need to ensure that the substantial evidence of breaches of law and human rights is investigated and assessed in a credible fashion,” said the report.  

“Since my appointment as Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to Myanmar on October 23, 2017, I have travelled to Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, and the UN in New York and have had numerous discussions with officials, leaders, and NGOs in those countries as well as in Ottawa, and at the UN, as well as with a number of groups and individuals with an interest in the region,” he said in the report.

These discussions will continue and I shall be travelling again to the region in the new year, and will issue a final report with recommendations after my return, the envoy said, adding that he was not given permission to visit Rakhine State.

“Eye witness accounts that I have heard have been both chilling and graphic,” he said.

“The condition of women and girls is of particular concern. There is clear evidence of sexual trauma, and a focused effort to deal with this issue is required,” he said.

“Seeing these words in print makes me realise how inadequate words are to express the extent of the damage and trauma being suffered by women and girls among the Rohingya refugees,” said the special envoy.

“My own interviews with a group of women were a detailed and graphic account of abuse and violence, including sexual violence as a weapon of war,” he said.

“These allegations of crimes against humanity need to be addressed directly by the international community, and there is a need for post-traumatic measures to help those who survived this ordeal. Additional resources will need to be gathered to make sure the response is adequate to deal with the extent of the abuse and its consequences,” he added.

Rae further said, “Since the end of the Second World War and the founding of the United Nations, the world has been involved in the establishment of basic standards of international law that are intended to ensure that crimes involving threats to human life and security do not go un-assessed and unpunished. Those who are responsible for breaches of international law and crimes against humanity should be brought to justice. This applies to all those involved, state actors and non-state actors, armies, and individuals.”

The international agencies, which share a responsibility for the camps, advised that they need a clear plan from international donors for the longer term, well past the current “end date” for funding of February 2018, he said.

On Bangladesh, the special envoy said, “It must be pointed out that the government of Bangladesh and the local communities surrounding the camp have made an enormous humanitarian contribution as a result of being prepared to host the Rohingya refugees. The entire international community is in their debt.”

It is important to understand that the process of discrimination against the Rohingya people have been persistent and cumulative over decades, and has led us to the present crisis, Rae noted.

“The process of legal exclusion from full citizenship has been going on for some considerable time. As a result, the Rohingya are now the world’s largest stateless population. This has not been a bloodless process. It has brought with it much loss of life, injury, pain, loss of property and loss of livelihood, to say nothing of the fear and humiliation that comes with this extent of discrimination,” he said.

“This also speaks to the issue of “genocide”, a word that is so full of historic meaning. This report will not offer any direct views on that subject at this point, except to say that the lesson of history is that genocide is not an event like a bolt of lightning. It is a process, that starts with hate speech and the politics of exclusion, then

moves to legal discrimination, then policies of removal, and then finally to a sustained drive to physical extermination,” he added.

“Myanmar authorities, the people of Myanmar, and the entire international community need to be mobilised to ensure that the Rohingya do not join the tragic list of those people who have died because they were singled out for their identity. Everyone needs to understand what is at risk here - which is why the issues of reconciliation and political leadership are so important, and why the issues of accountability and impunity must be addressed,” said the envoy.

“This is not a short term problem with a quick fix. The fact that an agreement has been signed between the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar is a first step in a possible process of repatriation but there are several additional assurances and guarantees that have to be provided before such an agreement could be implemented. There is also the challenge of resources at the border assessing re-admittance, as well as the conditions that await the returnees in Rakhine State,” he said.

“And the issues of political participation and citizenship loom large over the whole picture,” he added.

The notion that these are all issues of sovereignty, to be settled exclusively between the government of Myanmar and Bangladesh, misses the point that the United Nations General Assembly has recognised that the duty to protect the security of individuals is initially the duty of states but failing that becomes a wider regional, and ultimately international obligation, said Rae.

Rohingya crisis

Intl community must address crimes against humanit

Says Canadian spl envoy

The eye-witness accounts of Rohingyas, who had to flee their homeland in Rakhine to escape the atrocities orchestrated by the Myanmar security forces, local Buddhist mobs and people from other ethnic groups, have been both chilling and graphic, according to the interim report released by Canadian special envoy on the Rohingya crisis Bob Rae. The sufferings of Rohingya women and girls are beyond description by words, according to the 6-page report obtained by The Independent. In the report, the Canadian special envoy said the international community should directly deal with the issue related to the allegations of the crimes against humanity. Bob Rae, appointed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on October 23, also said that the whole international community is indebted to Bangladesh for their gesture. My initial findings can be divided into three parts: first, the humanitarian crisis in both Bangladesh and Myanmar as a result of the recent exodus of over 655,000 Rohingya refugees into neighbouring Bangladesh, adding to the hundreds of thousands of refugees already there, and the 120,000 in camps under virtual lockdown in Rakhine State ofMyanmar, he stated in the report. Second, the efforts required to ensure the secure return of refugees to their homes with full political and social rights, as well as to ensure the implementation of the recommen dations of the Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State and third, the need to ensure that the substantial evidence of breaches of law and human rights is investigated and assessed in a credible fashion, said the report. Since my appointment as Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to Myanmar on October 23, 2017, I have travelled to Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, and the UN in New York and have had numerous discussions with officials, leaders, and NGOs in those countries as well as in Ottawa, and at the UN, as well as with a number of groups and individuals with an interest in the region, he said in the report. These discussions will continue and I shall be travelling again to the region in the new year, and will issue a final report with recommendations after my return, the envoy said, adding that he was not given permission to visit Rakhine State. Eye witness accounts that I have heard have been both chilling and graphic, he said. The condition of women and girls is of particular concern. There is clear evidence of sexual trauma, and a focused effort to deal with this issue is required, he said. Seeing these words in print makes me realise how inadequate words are to express the extent of the damage and trauma being suffered by women and girls among the Rohingya refugees, said the special envoy. My own interviews with a group of women were a detailed and graphic account of abuse and violence, including sexual violence as a weapon of war, he said. These allegations of crimes against humanity need to be addressed directly by the international community, and there is a need for post-traumatic measures to help those who survived this ordeal. Additional resources will need to be gathered to make sure the response is adequate to deal with the extent of the abuse and its consequences, he added. Rae further said, Since the end of the Second World War and the founding of the United Nations, the world has been involved in the establishment of basic standards of international law that are intended to ensure that crimes involving threats to human life and security do not go un-assessed and unpunished. Those who are responsible for breaches of international law and crimes against humanity should be brought to justice. This applies to all those involved, state actors and non-state actors, armies, and individuals. The international agencies, which share a responsibility for the camps, advised that they need a clear plan from international donors for the longer term, well past the current end date for funding of February 2018, he said. On Bangladesh, the special envoy said, It must be pointed out that the government of Bangladesh and the local communities surrounding the camp have made an enormous humanitarian contribution as a result of being prepared to host the Rohingya refugees. The entire international community is in their debt. It is important to understand that the process of discrimination against the Rohingya people have been persistent and cumulative over decades, and has led us to the present crisis, Rae noted. The process of legal exclusion from full citizenship has been going on for some considerable time. As a result, the Rohingya are now the worlds largest stateless population. This has not been a bloodless process. It has brought with it much loss of life, injury, pain, loss of property and loss of livelihood, to say nothing of the fear and humiliation that comes with this extent of discrimination, he said. This also speaks to the issue of genocide, a word that is so full of historic meaning. This report will not offer any direct views on that subject at this point, except to say that the lesson of history is that genocide is not an event like a bolt of lightning. It is a process, that starts with hate speech and the politics of exclusion, then moves to legal discrimination, then policies of removal, and then finally to a sustained drive to physical extermination, he added. Myanmar authorities, the people of Myanmar, and the entire international community need to be mobilised to ensure that the Rohingya do not join the tragic list of those people who have died because they were singled out for their identity. Everyone needs to understand what is at risk here - which is why the issues of reconciliation and political leadership are so important, and why the issues of accountability and impunity must be addressed, said the envoy. This is not a short term problem with a quick fix. The fact that an agreement has been signed between the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar is a first step in a possible process of repatriation but there are several additional assurances and guarantees that have to be provided before such an agreement could be implemented. There is also the challenge of resources at the border assessing re-admittance, as well as the conditions that await the returnees in Rakhine State, he said. And the issues of political participation and citizenship loom large over the whole picture, he added. The notion that these are all issues of sovereignty, to be settled exclusively between the government of Myanmar and Bangladesh, misses the point that the United Nations General Assembly has recognised that the duty to protect the security of individuals is initially the duty of states but failing that becomes a wider regional, and ultimately international obligation, said Rae.